Sex and The City for Seniors

Can you imagine Sex and the City’s famous gal pals Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda at 70? Well Barbara Rose Booker could and wrote a book about it. The Viagra Diaries didn’t meet with immediate success. The first publisher Barbara Rose approached wouldn’t even read the manuscript. “A novel about a 70-year old woman who has sex and makes a career for herself? That’s simply disgusting.” Other publishers responded pretty much the same way. Barbara Rose soldiered on and published it herself. The initial edition of 10,000 copies sold out quickly. The book got great reviews and Barbara Rose was invited to take part in several TV shows. Then Simon and Schuster became interested and bought the rights to the novel; they are preparing to put out a second addition in the spring of 2013. Not only that; the novel caught the attention of Darren Star, producer of Sex and the City; he is currently planning to shoot a new series for HBO based on the novel. Barbara Rose Booker has been involved in the literary world for most of her life but never expected she would have her biggest success when she was 75 years old.

“Contemporary society thinks that love, dating, sex, and carers are not for us. Actually, we all need these things and it doesn’t matter how old we are,” says Booker.

Imagine that all of the main characters in Sex and the City are over 65. They go on dates, search for the men of their dreams, have busy careers and in their free time, share amusing details of their intimate lives with their girlfriends. You can’t imagine it? Too bad. That’s exactly the story Darren Star, producer of Sex and the City, is putting into production for HBO. The new series is based on The Viagra Diaries, an autobiographical novel written by 75 year-old Barbara Rose Brooker.

Barbara Rose Brooker has been involved in literature for the greater part of her life, but she never thought that real success would come only at age 75.

“When I reached 60, I realized that our society was full of monstrous preconceptions with regard to age,” she says. “I understood that that this wasn’t as terrible as homophobia or racism. Even so, it made me very angry.”

Barbara decided to write a novel toppling age stereotypes. Its main character is Anny Applebaum, a 70 year-old journalist. She’s been divorced for 30 years and, therefore, she is trying everything to work out her private life and achieve literary recognition.

“She’s 90% me,” says Brooker. “Nearly all of the descriptions in the book are situations that really did happen, either to me or to my friends. I don’t write about what I don’t know.”

Barbara Rose’s own experience shows that it’s difficult for men and women to achieve mutual understanding at any age.

“Do you believe in real love?” asks the heroine.

The hero scowls. “I believe in Viagra.”

Barbara’s characters meet, fall in love, try to make an impression on one another and get into awkward situations. In short, they lead active and fulfilled lives in all respects, despite the fact that they are well over 60.

3 Comments

Two months ago, I met my soulmate. I am soon to be 84 and he is 89. We are both parents and grandparents. We both have had great careers. Me as a workshop and retreat leader in human development and he as a pilot and navigator. We met on Match.com and from the first, I liked him and love soon followed. He is smart, wise, honest and is learning all about the glories of great sex! We consider ourselves blessed to have found each other. We are looking for a place to share because we love, love, love one another’s company and are looking to create a-quality-of-life future. We bless the Gods for bringing us together. We have fine health, are deeply aware of our blessings, and take nothing for granted.
And, if I say so myself–we look great together!!! love & grace to magic…….Ilene M. Cummings